R&B Vocalist Fantasia on New Album, Music Industry

5/8/2013 6:22PM

Platinum-selling singer and American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino talks to WSJ’s Lee Hawkins about her new album, “Side Effects of Me”, and discusses how she has dealt with the business aspects of the music industry.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... I ... this state ... a stunt like that I the eye yet yet his that I did ... that ... been ages are re No ... it's totally dominating American Idol thirty in two thousand for ... he's arguably the most vocally gifted young singer on the market ... it knew about the new album ... to talk to me about the toughest parts of the music business ... and the size of your wealth and stardom at the public rarely seen ... welcome and changes ... the euro no single boost to win in nine has gotten ... really critically Oakley ... because it's a real song in terms of ... the approach to the music you haven't changed ... your sound enough ... my average ... last long ... I will I think he ... grew up in a musical family ... firms cousins casing Joe Joe ... grew up on using and ... who will go insane we we we were told to be a self I'm doing enough to to stay true to it ... so I can t ... when I said I was insane and you should see that was really talking more about the pressure that artists feel today because of ... the rise of dance music ... I'd to to kind of move away from the traditional IRA and the sun ... and I wondered if you felt they knew that pressure going ... I mean I think some of ... you know ... I ... and because you feel like ... oh what I'll put some us time and that that's not ... gonna the words hurried ... I mean because ... this and using the sounds of taking all that ... it seems that when somebody does something like that becomes the heat ... in a film that antibodies the course to do something like ... that ... for me ... you know ... I just an ally and and and I see you at Apple's ample ... accept what adding that he has an Odyssey being self standout ... track to follow what I mean I still and so that's ... I want it to stand that warmly that's a ... sourcing ... and I'll be a soul singer ay ... ay ay ay you indeed will I mean that the cruelty ... that that about right away when the time to buy new for me it was the fact that ... I saw you first on American and it was early in the past ... I ... without any status the town ... today is the ... it's a ... in ... I stopped watching ... after your performance he ... said will they Ardi have their winter ... long in the EU did win ... in a just and thrust you into a whole new experience ... as a musician ... the letter ... it is the the the ... that that that that it's been it's why ... have there only being a few people ... that have really gotten to the level of EU were Kelly Clarkson ... Carrie Underwood or what makes people successful coming out ... of American Idol I ... you not to say why is that I'm it's ... time ... to time ... that's fine ... now ... when you are not going to war ... only I don't think he ... has said so on ... Larry ... of ups and downs ... I ... I know that love music so much and that's that's going to do this and start ... doing ... the museum unbundling ... I come with us to clean coupled with the center Aaron ... Watson ... the phone when I get that any stock is ... up to add ... to the US ... the US scene ... I ... an article in the elite on ... me ... you reflect on a lot of the challenges that you and everything from ... sexual abuse to ... financial problems ... all of the things ... that have shaped ... who you are to some extent in which the struggles that you've overcome ... right now you're ... really in a good place it seems like you're trying to reshape to some extent and the public's understanding of who we you is that an accurate assessment ... thinking of that I think it's my ... on ... I cannot comment on its ... I think ... for so long I did ... that's what St means that got me ... thinking that includes everybody ... he'll feel well and thirties IJ new thing ... and then somebody wake of and ... behind it ... well I can now buy a scale ... that within my ... so add this I ... realize that ... to ... amateurs and farm ... I enjoy the simple things I can has about twenty ... snow cones ... homes are my position in the industry ... the number one ... in the silhouette when you can buy ... I get that one is on the sheets on things ... to strongly ... consider me and ... you know murkiness and soon they ... found something on the integration ... you know ... its life very ... they don't have a winning ... field goal and so when building a sunny day heating ... and ... cooling tea ... so that's how I want to be Alice on the album title I was there ... I ... the ... tumbler ... yes I wanted to tell Noah sing and read still looks ... cool I can dance ... ghost but don't ... only ... EC ... I ended up in the position ... of trying to make him see ... him get me going ... and doing Basseley don't like my hasn't easy leading among its ... customers away ... my ideal reader at this point I ... with ... we cleaned ... everything up and bring into my people ... including myself together this ... weekend when the iPhone but lacking a sense of what to say that has taken steps to him he would ... play sitting there doing now ... he likely has some of these people you might see control of your life something more than anyone else to get it to me cleaning out people especially you seem to be ... the person that they're going ... to the people that work for ... you on the life you to buy your founder ... things happen ... how is that ... I mean the idea of cleaning house and ... getting people that are toxic out of your business in your life ... so that you can move forward ... in schools he ... see for me ... canceling loving ... caring sweet and ... I am all done ... to listen ... to me ... it was too long ... I just I ... did you change or did people ... around you see ... I am I going ... ok I'm going out at the time we really look at the initial you've been in it in the game for nine years ... then if that first three or four ... year period did people surprise you in terms of the way that the reacted to your success ... they sell at any cost the hostile achingly Fiat ... no money what can you do ... are we need help with this and ... you know that the train ... is not a young film that Virginia maneuver nothing my as as a sister as France all is about what you can give them ... so that I ... you know it because if you just wanna see ... us I'm ... President ... any louts ... and still be treated like ... T yet ... the younger might go up a betting that enables the many many House meeting that we have the gas ... to Asia ... that's what I was a pleasant thing ... the the ... I ... ay ... ay ay ay ay ... ay ... it's it's it's not ... the ... yes a ... been ... you know you've seen ... them ... the vast majority of it ... is veering the you know ... let's go home ... do this and that and I needed that in time love ... theme to use them to some of the music it's now when used to be ... you think it will ever come back particularly balance ... problem ... one from London ... what ... I think people will say ... I think people are hungry for ... I'm ... you know I I told ... him using them and guidance I ... was ... all the different ... things to come ... and ... actually clean MG on ... all of you know that I was means the fine ... and I like it that she comes to me this is ... that ... you don't ... see psyche ... in all adults and that ... is the ... I to me it was me and it's a desolate agreement that musically it was a Sunday ... you can put in writing down ... things like that and some retailers to win ... back on the basis Leno ... but then on anyway and yet again that I see it ... so the Commodores ... as it was the music that I in the teens it was with songs that you can stand ... I honestly feel like ... people missing ... and he wanted ... to come ... here yet be with you sell ... I ... the sound of my ... this isn't what the company said it wants to go and do this unless he is saying ... this is all me I went to studio in L a and and and you know ... we mean it there was no pressure there was no vision from the from the record company ... now ... and how does the minister ... that is ... the isthe allow for me on this team now and ... I was sad for within myself to ... to be able to go and stand and do an outline ... of what my family family legacy ... in in in re Bintan the creative freedom than I be carrying on estates ... you know ... I'll what ... she ... wanted to know what ... I ... I performed ... an album ... when I went so ... I mean with Peter Holmes a complex than two months in ... identifying them and I wanted to know it's going to ... see let me be me ... at the time being ... you know ... being pushed in this box in and don't let anybody else was he didn't feel that for I ... know you ... get ... your foot down and ... let out was watching yet again I watched Abraxis snow ... Toni Braxton ... she was speaking about how she's lost the passion ... and love for music ... I ... I ... because ... new vaccines and in ... full bloom ... it's on the stage for performances in the same ... time you hear someone like ... it's a must ... you see it as it did stayed on a reality show yet so I mean what what she's saying what he did say that Ian ... Cumming some artists of her caliber ... that's what with so many greats baby face ... in any area of the ... that breaks my high ... because I feel I ... she thought she just couldn't ... be herself ... what she wants to ... know what it would sell the ... anti ... siphoning that appear ... anytime and he ... say no came the CEO okay ... let's go to it ... seems to come on ... and we came home with ... Angry out on you know we taking ... all of us comes to Houston ... plans ... doing ... so it uses for these ... two music and music lyrically and musically this high ... checks we had last ... Wednesday and I've that they have that are ... just that they love what I have one stated I call it locks I'll ... announce the passing of the attack to know ... about ... so ... some of these people that we talked about in the course of our conversation we talked about Michael J ... we use in the new White House did did you know we need and due to meeting you and I ... want ... when this will enable me it's ... I mean the last ... we have moments when her ... house ... why can't you reach out to people I know is that I s ... celebrity I'm sure you've been Aretha Franklin and people like that and ... I ask people why can't you call ... if you wanna work with people why can't you just pick up the phone and called it I mean that that people know when you win the respect in our Sunday doesn't work that novices like me ask you ... why do you call them and Tim Loxton save me and just because he's in a bar ... don't you see these artists ... it's it's it's the fast lane happy to see him at what styles ... idea in the PC and ... your reckoning with the fast lane so ... high that comes in Why We taxidermy I can manage to weaken the yen and ... you know are ... you build the relationship with an artist does that ... happen ... so who would you elaborate if you get in on the phone right now one collaboration ... Lenovo the world's way ... I mean ... and and and ... she's not can ... whenever I bring someone from reality show ... it started on a reality show in the really make it big in the music business ... I feel that there's always only it'll be enough ... reluctance or ... one is the reason ... that is ... not wanting to be defined by a man to it there's something about it that people don't wanna always talk about it you feeling ... now he's ... free or announce I knew ... our morals so yes I mean when I opened during the summer ... rolled ... around school ... I know who I am ... musically now and come with very good experience for you ... schools don't you think you would be with us today ... born on American Idol ... where would you be on the IOM of the ... times to be seen ... even though the system ... the thing ... and that would be good enough for you ... just me ... so I am entering the state with ... a stake in Hyundai set up with Fantasia on Lee Hawkins will see next ... it's